Remembering Wentworth ‘Wenty’ Newland – An Interview with Reverend Ajennie Subaran

The Reverend first visited Wenty’s Tropical Food in 1992, shortly after moving from Lewisham to Forest Gate. She remembers.

She still remembers the products she had been most excited to find at Wenty Newland’s shop on Upton Lane.

Reverend Subaran would soon become a regular at Wenty’s – even as its owner remained a rare visitor to her church.

What made visits to Wenty’s special, was more than the products themselves.

Over the years, Wenty’s has remained a focal point for Jamaican-born locals and a bridge to the wider community in Newham and beyond.

Wenty Newland’s support for his local church is testimony to his shop’s deep roots in the community.

In later years, once Wenty’s had been extended by a catering business at the back of the shop, its owner made sure that surplus food was donated to the church’s weekly breakfast for the homeless. To the Reverend, gestures like these exemplify what being faithful is truly about.

While Reverend Subaran mourns the loss of Wentworth Newland, she finds comfort in knowing that his shop’s spirit and his commitment to the community will live on through his family.